If you like shopping then you will love London. This city is home to some of the best shopping in the world from the big chain shops and famous department stores that jostle for space along Oxford Street in central London to hipster boutiques, independent designers and creative markets.
It’s also a great place to pick up unique gifts and souvenirs.
Not surprisingly for such a creative and diverse city, London is home to stores that you simply won’t find anywhere else and many of them are ideal for finding that perfect British gift.
So, forget the souvenir shops selling Union Jack hats, Big Ben postcards, themed fridge magnet and tea towels, and London Eye shopping bags, and take a look instead at our pick of the best souvenirs from London.
Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links. I have been or could be if you click on a link in this post compensated via a cash payment, gift or something else of value for writing this post. See our full disclosure policy for more details.
The best souvenirs from London
Table of Contents
Ready, set, shopping spree! Here’s our pick of the best things to buy in London.
Liberty London
You should start your search for unique souvenirs in Liberty, one of the best shops in London.
This designer department store first opened its doors in 1875 and its worth visiting for the architecture alone. The grand Tudor revival building was constructed from the timbers of two ships – HMS Impregnable (formerly HMS Howe) and HMS Hindustan – with the ships’ decks used as flooring for the store.
Liberty is particularly famous for its miniature floral, paisley and abstract prints, today known as “Liberty prints”. These make great gifts and are available to buy as washbags, notebooks, dressing gowns and more.
Liberty London is on Great Marlborough Street in the West End of London next door to Carnaby Street, a colourful road lined with cool shops including Benefit, Farm Rio and Birkenstock.
Selfridges
On nearby Oxford Street is where you will find famous department store Selfridges, an emporium of fashion, homewares, make-up, kids’ goods and much more spread over nine floors. This, the flagship store, is the second largest shop in the UK and opened in 1909. If visiting London at Christmas then make sure to stop by their enormous Christmas shop located on the lower level.
Harrods
Which leads me on to Harrods, the largest shop in Britain and a brilliant place to buy unique gifts from London.
The famed Food Hall is a fantastic place to buy unique London souvenirs for foodies. In 2021, Harrods opened its Chocolate Hall, which features creations by some of the best chocolatiers in the world – as well as Harrods’ own-brand chocolate range – as well as live demonstrations from Harrods’ in-house chocolate masters.
Harrods is the only UK department store that makes and sells its own chocolate in-house and all cocoa used is responsibly sourced – a box of Harrods own chocolate definitely makes a great gift for friends at home.
Fortnum & Mason
Fortnum & Mason is most famous for its luxury hampers but the long-standing department store is a treasure trove of goodies, all of which would make an excellent gift to take home.
I’m a big fan of their biscuits, that are not only delicious but come in elegant tins in the stores signature Eau de Nil colour. They also stock a wide range of teas that also come in pretty collectible tins (we particularly like their Earl Grey tea). These make great gifts and are a fun piece of London to take home with you.
London’s Markets
London’s many local markets often hide the best London souvenirs.
Portobello Road Market, on one of London’s most famous streets in west London, is always fun to discover with dozens of antique shops selling everything from antique maps and silverware to books, crystal and collectibles. Columbia Road Flower Market is another place to head for unique British gifts. The market is held on Sundays from 8am to around 3pm.
Brick Lane is a great place to visit, particularly with teens. This cool corner of East London is home to the Brick Lane Vintage Market held at The Truman Brewery with boutiques selling vintage clothes from across the decades as well as vinyl records and an electric array of accessories. The market is open daily.
There are other independent shops in the Brick Lane neighbourhood selling vintage threads including ATIKA, which specialises in unique pieces from the 70s, 80s, 90s and 00s.
You could spend days exploring the many stalls and stores at Camden Market in Camden Town. This is your one-stop destination for vintage fashion, graphic tees, hand-crafted accessories, second-hand books and more. It’s one of the best places in London to buy unique gifts and a great place to discover with teens.
A gift from Buckingham Palace
The Buckingham Palace Gift Shop lies just a stone’s throw away from the King’s residence on Buckingham Palace Road and sells the official merchandise of His Majesty and the rest of the Royal Family. From a portrait of The King and corgi-themed items (including stuffed corgi toys) to aprons, teddy bears, cookbooks, and even shower caps, there’s something for every Royalist in your life.
If you can’t get to the store itself then take a look at the website.
London Underground Poster
One of my favourite souvenirs from London has to be the vintage London Underground posters sold by the London Transport Museum. They also sell cushions made out of the iconic moquette fabric – the exact same fabric used to upholster London’s transport vehicles – bedding decorated with the London Underground map, model buses and train sets, and much more including a great range of gifts for children.
Tea from Twinnings
There’s nothing quite so quintessentially British as afternoon tea. Give the gift that keeps on giving with a selection of teas from the flagship Twinnings store on the Strand. With over 300 years of history, this is the oldest tea shop in London.
An umbrella from James Smith & Sons
James Smith & Sons have been making umbrellas since 1830 and is the place to go for men’s and women’s umbrellas and parasols – as well as made-to-measure walking sticks. Prices range from surprisingly affordable (given the brand’s pedigree) to thousands of pounds for antique and bespoke options. It’s the ideal gift for those who love style and history.
Jewellery from Tatty Devine
This very British brand started life in London’s Portobello and Spitalfields markets when two art school friends got together and started making jewellery.
Today, Tatty Devine creates fun, colourful pieces using laser cut acrylic packed with personality and a lot of fun – necklaces can feature anything from a giant lobster to an oversized banana. They also make personalised necklaces, which make great souvenirs. You can browse their designs online or visit their small shop on Neal Street in Covent Garden.
Toys from Hamleys
Possibly one of the most famous of all the London gift shops is the multi-story toy store Hamleys. this is the world’s oldest and largest toy shop and receives some five million visitors every year. It can be extraordinarily overwhelming but it’s unique to London and a must-visit if you are in London with kids even if you don’t buy anything (it’s not cheap and you can often find the same toy elsewhere for cheaper).
One item you can only buy in Hamleys is the ‘Arthur Bear’. Stocked among the plush toys, this dapper looking teddy bear comes dressed in a red waistcoat and tartan bow tie.
Afternoon tea on a double-decker bus
Sometimes the best souvenirs are the ones that you get to enjoy first hand during a trip. One of the best experiences that you can only do in London is to indulge in afternoon tea on board a double decker bus. Brigit’s Bakery run a handful of themed afternoon teas on board their fleet of cherry red double-decker buses, everything from a Peppa Pig and Paddington to traditional afternoon tea with finger sandwiches and scones.
Sherlock Holmes memorabilia from the Sherlock Holmes Museum
The old home of London’s most famous fictional detective sits on Baker Street, around the corner from the tube station. Housed within a Georgian townhouse, the privately owned museum is furnished with Holmes’ personal items and even a handful belonging to Watson.
The accompanying shop sells Sherlock Holmes themed gifts and souvenirs everything from deerstalkers and themed stationary to the Great Detective’s books.
The All on the Board Book
Ever wondered who’s behind the clever, funny and inspirational messages that appear on the Underground boards across London?
The duo behind the #allontheboard are Jeremy Chopra and Ian Redpath who first began writing short poems of hope on customer information boards in order to cheer commuters up. Their messages have been so popular that they have an Instagram account with over half a million followers and now a book called, of course, All On the Board.
Toys from Benjamin Pollock’s Toyshop
For original children’s gifts from London head to Benjamin Pollock’s Toyshop in Covent Garden. The toy store, which specialises in cut-out and make Victorian toy theatres, paper shadow boxes and pop-up theatres, first opened in the 1880s in Hoxton before later moving to Covent Garden. It also stocks a range of books, music boxes and other traditional toys.
Biscuits from Biscuiteers
London-themed biscuits from Biscuiteers in Notting Hill make great presents. Hand-iced in London you can choose from the Best of British box, Paddington Bear biscuits, or a Nativity Christmas biscuit tin.
Paddington Bear gifts from the Paddington Bear Shop
The Paddington movies are some of our favourite family films set in London and now there’s a Paddington shop, too. Located, as you might expect, at Paddington Station, the Paddington Bear Shop is the place to get the perfect present. It’s the only shop in the world which is dedicated exclusively to the famous bear. Pick up up all manner of memorabilia including books, miniature replicas and your very own Paddington teddy bear.
A hat from Lock & Co Hatters
Not only is Lock & Co Hatters the oldest hat shop in London, it’s the oldest hat shop in the world! Founded in 1676, Lock & Co have dressed the heads of some of the most famous names in history including Admiral Lord Nelson, Sir Winston Churchill and Oscar Wilde. The shop is one of the oldest family-owned businesses still in existence.
Anything from Alice Through the Looking Glass
One of London’s most magical stores is Alice Through the Looking Glass. Located in Cecil Court, not far from Leicester Square, this shop is filled with gifts, memorabilia and rare editions of Lewis Carroll’s stories. It’s the perfect place for that special gift only found in London.
A wand from the Harry Potter Store
You’ll find Harry Potter merchandise for sale almost everywhere in London but every Harry Potter fan knowns that it’s worth going to the Harry Potter shop in Kings Cross Station as well. Located at Platform 9 3/4, this is the place to come to buy everything related to the boy wizard. Don’t miss the chance to have a photo taken of you pushing your trolley onto the magical platform while you’re here.
London souvenirs from We Built This City
For London souvenirs with a cool, modern edge look at We Built This City.
This online store – and occasional pop-up shop – brings together some of the best London-inspired goods from the some of the city’s best creatives. There are cool maps, fun ‘Kate Middle-toe’ socks, quirky illustrations of London landmarks, colourful jewellery, and much more.
Gifts from To Home from London
Another fun online store selling quirky London gifts is To Home from London. Come here for coasters, tote bags, placemats, mugs and much more, all with colourful London-inspired designs.
A book from Hatchards
London’s oldest book store opened in 1797, making it almost as old as the USA! Hatchards moved locations in 1801 and has occupied the same 187 Piccadilly address ever since – right near Piccadilly Circus.
It was acquired by Waterstones in the 1990s so the interiors are not quite as historic as you might expect but Royal Warrants are still on display as are historic photographs and old catalogues. They also stock a very good selection of books.
I’m also a big fan of Daunt Books, particularly their beautiful Marylebone location. These are some of my favourite children’s book stores in London.
A travel guide from Stanfords
The UK’s leading retailer of maps and travel guides since 1853, the travel bookshop Stanfords is a great place to go for a unique London gift. Located in Covent Garden, they have been welcoming adventure and armchair travellers alike for more than 100 years. Famous names who have walked through their doors include Florence Nightingale and Michael Palin.
For ideas on where to buy children’s books see this list of bookshops.
A print from the V&A
One of the best museum gift shop in London is at the Victoria & Albert Museum. As well as jewellery, books and homewares, the V&A offer made to order art prints for your home. The perfect original London gift!
Many of London’s museums have great museum gift shops. Take a look at the British Museum shop and the Natural History Museum shop.
Wine from Berry Bros & Rudd
Founded in 1698, Berry Bros. & Rudd is the oldest wine and spirits merchant in Britain and one of the oldest family-run businesses in the UK. It’s located in a Grade II* listed building on St. James’s Street and boats a distinguished pedigree of clients; it’s been the official wine supplier to the Royal Family since the reign of King George III.
Cheese from Paxton & Whitfield
You’ll need something to go with the wine you pick up from Berry Bros. & Rudd so head to Paxton & Whitfield, one of the oldest cheesemongers in the UK.
The shop was first established in 1797 and they’ve been selling all manner of cheeses every since. They were awarded their first Royal Warrant to Queen Victoria in 1850 and today hold Royal Warrants of Appointment granted by Queen Elizabeth II and The former Prince of Wales
Perfume from Penhaligon’s
Penhaligon’s shops are fairly prolific these days but the perfume house dates back to the late 1860s when William Henry Penhaligon, a Cornish barber, moved to London. He became Court Barber and Perfumer to Queen Victoria. It’s flagship store sits in Covent Garden but you’ll find other branches across London. Come here for the beautiful scents, the hand wash, the candles or just to browse.
Art supplies from L. Cornelissen & Son
L. Cornelissen & Son has been supplying artists with pigments, paints, brushes, boards and more since 1855. Even if you’re not up to the standard of some of their previous clients (Francis Bacon being one), it’s a wonderful emporium of colour to explore. Plus, you’ll find the perfect gift for the artist in your life.
Stationery from Marby & Elm
Marby & Elm is fun stationery shop in Exmouth Market that stocks a range of handprinted cards as well as pencils, week planners and jewellery. They also stock candles inspired by London such as ‘Clerkenwell Blue’, ‘Bethnal Green’ and ‘Shoreditch Orange’. Some might be a little risky for presents – your gran might not appreciated ‘The Smell of Total Bollocks’ for example – but it’s all good fun.
